Vice Chancellor of the
Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE), Professor Rosemund Green-Osahogulu has called on women in Nigeria to mobilise towards nation-building in order to better their lot.
She made the call recently in University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) where the patience Jonathan Centre for Gender and Women Development Studies (PGCGWDs) in collaboration with the UNIPORT Women Association (UPWA) marked the 2015 International Women’s Day.
Professor Green-Osahogulu, who was the chairman of the occasion commended the Centre and UPWA for organising the event to celebrate womanhood, and also stressed the need for changes in attitude to enable achieve their full potentials. In what she called “a Patriarchal society that still treats women as the property of men”.
She urged the centre to intensify its advocacy for the rights of women, “who are hampered by all  manner of prejudices in the traditional home setting and at the work place.
In her presentation entitled “Make it Happen; Girls and Women’s Health,” the Director of the Centre for Research Management in the UNIPORT, Professor Alice Nte, called on relevant organs of government to implement policies that would improve the quality of life for women and the Girl-Child.
Professor Nte called for adequate attention to issues bothering on Mother and Child health, which, she said, was central to the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals by the federal government.
The Director of the Centre for Research Management, who frowned at harmful traditional practices such as early marriage and battering of women, disclosed that over 80 per cent of deaths amongst women could be prevented is the political will was there to enforce relevant legislation.
Also speaking, representative of the Vice-Chancellors, and Provost, College of Graduate strides, Professor Roseline Konya commended the Centre’s efforts at educating women and Girls on their health and rights.
She charged participants to act on the recommendation made earlier by the Guest Lecturers aimed at improving the well being of women, advising them to key into the quality of education in gender strides available at the centre to develop themselves.
Notable highlights of the occasion was a talk on how to improve the capacity of women in entrepreneurship and business by the Chief Executive Officer, Fifteen Point Three Limited, Sudbo hephziban, and the presentation of gifts to widows and female students from selected Senior Secondary schools in Rivers State.